Piiots Take Solar Impulse Sim on 25-hour Flight

May 19, 2008
Aircraft, Training

Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg recently spent their first 25 hours at the controls of a flight simulator that replicates the cockpit in the first Solar Impulse prototype HB-SIA. Piccard flew the prototype from Tuesday, May 13 at 7:27 a.m. to Wednesday, May 14 at 8:43 a.m., and Borschberg from Thursday, May 15 at 7:20 a.m. to Friday, May 16 at 8:38 a.m. Developed by Solar Impulse and assembled by EPFL, the Federal Polytechnic of Lausanne, the simulator allowed the men to “fly” HB-SIA for the first time.

Taking off from Payerne, they tested the cockpit’s ergonomics and noted possible improvements. They also experienced the aerodynamic behavior of the airplane and noted how its motors consumed or stored energy in the batteries, particularly during the nocturnal part of the flight.

Back

Auction highlights mismanagement at Silver State August 01, 2008 The state of the assets of bankrupt Silver State Helicopters is providing clues about how the troubled company was run before its shutdown and... [more]
European Mustang Pilots Start FlightSafety Training August 01, 2008 The first batch of Cessna Citation Mustang pilots started initial training last month at FlightSafety’s Farn-borough Learning Center. Once the... [more]
Air BP FBO training now online August 01, 2008 Fuel provider Air BP is offering an online training program for FBOs in the company’s USGA dealer network. The training was developed by Air BP... [more]
JetAviva Adds Mustang to Training Program August 01, 2008 Van Nuys, Calif.-based JetAviva is expanding its jet training program to include the Cessna Citation Mustang. The company, which has had such a... [more]
Alteon expands training offerings to meet demand July 18, 2008 Boeing subsidiary Alteon is responding to the global need for training by expanding and refining its service offering. The company estimates the... [more]